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<i>The Comedians</i> – Advance Review. The Billy and Josh Show.

Season 1

Premiere Date: Thursday, April 9, 2015, 10:00 pm ET/PT on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

Billy Crystal and Josh Gad playing Billy Crystal and Josh Gad.

In 2005, I spent a month as an extra filming the movie Prairie Home Companion. One of my fondest memories from that experience was watching Lily Tomlin and Meryl Streep interact between takes. I also remember a certain amount of playful banter between Tomlin and director Robert Altman that, while on the surface was entertaining, had some punch to it. There was a humor that came from their conversations that felt like it was all done in good fun, but made you wonder if there was something deeper going on.

I mention this story because it reminds me of The Comedians, a new comedy on FX starring Billy Crystal and Josh Gad. I was lucky enough to attend a screening of The Comedians at this year’s SXSW in Austin, Texas, and received nine screeners in all from FX. Watching the humor derived from the documentary style pilot brought back memories of the interactions between Tomlin and Streep. In both cases, I felt privy to private conversations as verbal jabs were tossed around.

Olaf and Mike Wazowski together.

The Comedians is a remake of the 2004 Swedish series Ulveson and Herngren. Both shows are filmed as a mocumentary that follows two comedians playing themselves, one famous and the other on the rise, who are reluctantly paired together to do a skit program for television. In The Comedians, Crystal attempts to make his return to television with his own sketch comedy show, but the studio has one condition — he partner with the younger comedian Gad. The two clash as their approach to comedy and life are very different, causing some hilarious moments.

With the tagline, “An FX original comedy series about an FX original comedy series,” there almost needs to be a cheat sheet separating fact from fiction, as the lines of reality in The Comedians are deeply blurred. Crystal and Gad play extreme versions of themselves in a TV show about a fictional TV show on FX, which happens to be the network airing both the series and the fake series. There are plenty of posters, stuffed dolls, and references to movies like City Slickers, Monsters, Inc., Frozen, and other projects the two leads have worked on. References to FX’s other shows are also scattered throughout the series, providing a realism to the documentary. Several famous guest stars, including Mel Brooks, Jimmy Kimmel, Steven Weber, and Rob Reiner appear on the show, some as themselves, some as fictional characters, each bringing their own unique brand of comedy. With the blended reality, and not being familiar with Dana Delany, it took me a few episodes to realize that although Crystal plays himself, his real wife Janice is played by the lovely Delany.

Josh and Kristen not having a meeting.

Rounding out the cast is Kristen (Stephnie Weir), an anxiety-ridden producer with some unusual stomach issues; Esme (Megan Ferguson), the show’s PA, who has an interesting work ethic; and Mitch (Matt Oberg), the quirky head writer for the sketch show. Had the series been filmed as a traditional television comedy, we would have gotten to know these characters better. Unfortunately, given the documentary style where Crystal and Gad are the focus, we rarely get to see these characters outside of their scenes with the two stars.

Crystal and Gad don’t hold back and seem fearless about poking fun at themselves. The jokes are entertaining, but the real humor comes from the uneasy reactions to the various situations the two comedians experience. During the SXSW panel, Crystal told the audience, “Some of the best moments in the show are the uncomfortable silences. It’s not the punchlines which are there; it’s the awkwardness of real behavior.” FX also deserves some credit for its willingness to make fun of itself throughout the series.

Within the first two minutes, it’s clear The Comedians is aimed for a mature audience. As a matter of fact, “awkward silence” is a perfect way to describe the series. With an episode dealing with race, titled “Orange You the New Black Guy,” and another episode showing Crystal and Gad telling jokes while hanging on a crucifix, there are moments that might offend some viewers.

Having a fake documentary using real people playing versions of themselves makes it hard at times to separate fact from fiction, making you wonder what is real and what is an act. Despite knowing Crystal and Gad play fictional versions of themselves, there are moments where I found myself feeling a myriad of emotions due to their behavior, emotions both positive and negative because of the documentary style approach.

After the screening, I had a chance to ask Crystal what he thought of the changes in the television industry since he first started in TV.

“For me, the most exciting thing now is binge watching. I mean, now I’m in the middle of season three of The Walking Dead and it’s fucking amazing. Prior to that, Josh got me into Breaking Bad, saying, ‘You got to watch Breaking Bad,’ and I hadn’t seen it. So I watched the pilot and it’s one of the greatest hours I have ever seen, and I watched the full five years in six days. My wife and I were like…we were like zombies because you finish one and it ends and you’re like, ‘Another one? Alright, let’s order in. Another one?’ And then you talk like morons because you’re talking about things you have seen in the five years and you make no sense. The twins, the twins, the guy with the bell, the bell guy, the bitch, bitch. And it’s like..so to answer your question — I love the freedom of what’s happening on television and I love that I’m able to see a lot of it.”

The Comedians’ season premiere is April 9, 2015 at 10:00 pm ET/PT, only on FX. It is an entertaining, albeit uncomfortable at times, comedy unlike anything else currently on TV and is definitely worth checking out.

Visit the show’s website http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-comedians

Looking for The Comedians on social media? Follow these links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheComedians

Instagram: https://instagram.com/thecomediansfx/

Tumblr: http://thecomediansfx.tumblr.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thecomedians

You can also follow the cast on Twitter: Josh Gad, Billy Crystal, Dana Delany and Megan Ferguson.

Photos © 2015 FX Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

 

Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.

Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.